Brother Bear
by freelf13
Summary: In the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, the whole Weasley family grieves for Fred. But the two younger siblings are taking it hardest, and they have their other problems on top of it all. Namely, Love.


Ron Comforts Ginny where Harry can't.

Ron willed his feet to keep moving, left right left right, up the spiral staircase to the Gryffindor Boys Dormitory. He was exhausted beyond belief. He had been walking trancelike around the newly destroyed castle for the past hour, unable to believe what had happened and that it was over. Everything was finally finished, and he could see nothing but clear skies ahead. The only overhanging storm cloud was Fred. He still couldn't really register what had happened. His brother could not be dead, and yet Ron had seen the evidence. But he couldn't cry anymore, he had to be the strong one for when Bill couldn't be there for his mum. He shook his head, almost willing the memory of the blasted wall and Fed's unseeing eyes to fly out his ear and out of his mind. But it didn't, and Ron sighed as he pushed open the dormitory door with a creak.

The sight that greeted him was surprising and yet plausible. Ginny, his poor little sister, usually so strong, was sitting at the window by Harry's bed crying. The rest of the room was deserted. Moonlight poured over her, dying her fiery hair many different shades of glowing red. She sniffed and snuffled every so often, and jumped when Ron cleared his throat. When she saw who it was, she whipped her head so she was facing the glass. She kept crying. Ron was dumbstruck. Ginny, wonderfully stubborn, strong and fierce Ginny was curled in the fetal position, looking incapable of supporting her own thin body. Wordlessly, Ron walked to where she was sitting and slid down the wall, knees bent, until they were both sitting in the window crevasse in the moonlight and he was facing her. She looked at him after awhile, and Ron almost cowered. The Ginny looking at him was not a Ginny he knew. Her dark brown eyes were injected with so much pain and sadness that the extra spilt over onto her face in the form of salty tears. She looked angry at the world, depressed, lonely, despondent, and even suicidal, all at the same time. Ron really felt like sobbing now. He had lost Fred. He could not bear to lose Ginny, too. He reached out a slightly bleeding hand and rested it on her knee. She put her hand on his, cool to his warm blood. Ron felt tears leak from his eyes as he asked

"Fred?"

Ginny let out a real sob, wracking her entire body, and flung herself at Ron from her position. Soon he was holding her up, her legs useless on the floor, and crying into her hair. The feel of her, the sibling love, made him feel a little better. But it wasn't himself he had to worry about. He moved her face away from where it had been crying into his shirt. Holding her away, he enquired

"Harry?"

Ginny choked on her sobs and answered shakily.

"It's both of them."

"Different reasons." Said Ron. It was a statement, not a question. Ginny nodded.

"I love Harry." She said shakily.

"He loves you."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes he does." argued Ron.

"Fred..." She faded off.

Ron couldn't say anything to this. He only held her closer, held her hair and said

"Yeah."

They both sat there and cried for what seemed like forever. From deep night, the sun began to peek over the distant hilltops. A greyish but golden, easing glow settled over Hogwarts's turrets. Finally Ginny pushed off Ron's chest. She wiped her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. In a voice cracked from lack of use she asked him.

"Does he love me?" Ron didn't have to think before he answered.

"Yes."

"How do you know?" She asked shakily. She looked disgusted with herself, usually so stoic, so in control and witty and independent. Here on the floor, crying about men. Ron inhaled, trying to get the strength, the courage up for this. He cautiously took Ginny's hands.

"Every day, when he thought no one was looking, Harry would follow your dot on the Marauders Map.

"What?" Ginny asked softly.

"He talked in his sleep. He didn't know it, but he talked in his sleep. All he ever said was "Not Ginny. Don't hurt Ginny. Ginny"

"But-"

"When he ended it with you, he stayed in here for five days straight. When I came in, his pillow was wet. He had been crying."

"I" Ginny started.

"His boggart is you, dead."

That did it for her. She collapsed into Ron's waiting arms and sobbed into his shirt. Ron simply held on to her, didn't dare to move until the door opened and Harry and Hermione walked in. They were tired, injured. They looked like rag dolls without stuffing. Hermione had one arm around Harry for support and the other in a sling, from where the horcrux force had jolted her. Harry saw Ginny crying and he rushed forward.

"Ginny!" he called quietly. But Hermione flung out an arm and shot him a look, and he backed off. Ron looked up at them. First at Hermione, then Harry, then he slowly held Ginny's back and elbow and hoisted her up gently. When she moved her long curtain of red hair and saw Harry, she froze. Her pitiful brown eyes searched his brimming green ones and she let go of Ron. She looked back at him, and he nodded. Ginny took three tentative steps forward, but Harry couldn't take it anymore. He swung his arm down and bent his head, and in seconds had scooped Ginny up and was kissing her. He tried to pour all his love, all his heart into the kiss. He could taste her tears on the corners of his lips, and he started crying too. He cupped her face with his hands. And Ron, ever wonderful, simply wound one arm around Hermione's waist and led her out of the room, locking the door and silencing it, leaving with a smile. The first in what felt like forever.


End file.
